An investigation has been opened into the killing of nine young candidates to join Mali's army in the insurgency-plagued north, the public prosecutor said in a statement seen by AFP on Thursday.
"On Sunday, May 19, at around 8am (0800 GMT) on the Goundam-Dire road, nine young candidates on their way to Timbuktu to take part in sports tests for recruitment into the Malian armed forces were shot dead by armed individuals," the statement, signed by prosecutor Amadou Bocar Toure, said on Wednesday.
"An investigation has been opened with a view to shedding light on the case and identifying and arresting the perpetrators," it added.
"They were all shot dead," a local security source told AFP, claiming the attack was carried out by insurgents to "dissuade the civilian population from collaborating with the army."
Widespread attention
The killing of the young men received widespread social media attention and sparked tributes in the towns of Dire and Goundam, but authorities had not issued any official communication on the subject.
Since 2012, Mali has been ravaged by different insurgent groups, as well as by self-declared self-defence forces and bandits.
Since seizing power in a 2020 coup, the military has broken off its anti-insurgency alliance with France and European partners, while turning politically and militarily towards Russia.
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